City seeks developer for Hudson Ave. library building

City officials are looking for a private developer to revive the historic Pulaski Library on Hudson Avenue.

The city has issued a request for proposals for the sale and redevelopment of the 83-year-old structure at 1151 Hudson. The city closed the library in 1194 because of budget constraints.

It was sold to a neighborhood non-profit organization that intended to convert it into a computer training center, city officials said in a statement released Friday afternoon. The project never materialized, and the city reclaimed the building in 2010,

The building has been vacant since the library closed. It is structurally sound, and restoration is feasible if critical repairs are made within a short time frame, a report commissioned by the city has determined, the city statement said.

Asbestos materials have been removed from the interior in preparation for the sale, the statement said.

“For more than 60 years, the Pulaski Library building provided the community with a place to convene, learn and share information,” Mayor Thomas Richards said in the statement.

“With the right redevelopment plan, it can once again serve as a community anchor. The history and future of our neighborhoods are brought together in structures like the Pulaski Library.”

Constructed in 1931, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city is looking for a developer to buy the building and restore it in a manner that ensures its preservation and re-use, and complements the surrounding area, the statement said.

An informational meeting on the RFP is scheduled Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Northeast Neighborhood Service Center, 500 Norton St. The building will be open for inspection Jan. 28 and Jan. 30 at 10 a.m.